Traitors and Allies
by PencilGirl92
Summary: After Mario's latest paper adventure, the hero hides Luigi from himself. Meanwhile, Bowser is discovering that most of the evil in him is actually from the influence of Kammy Koopa.
1. Prologue

Prologue and Prelude

It was a secret none would say. If Luigi knew, who knew what he would do? How would he feel knowing that he harmed his brother? Ever since the invasion of Bowser's castle by Smithy, things had become more complicated in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario's adventures were no longer just him. He traveled through the Mushroom Kingdom and even outside it, through places like Rogueport and Flipside, with at least a few partners. Along the way, he was joined by Luigi and the Princess herself, much to the anxiety of Toadsworth. He even found an ally in Bowser.

But these adventures came at a price. By a cruel twist of spells, Luigi was turned against the crew. Mario did not recognize him when they fought. No one would recognize him, for he was well-disguised. Unfortunately, he was soon revealed in the end by the mastermind behind it all.

They swore to themselves they would never tell Luigi.

.

It was a secret he would not say. Bowser paced in his castle, wracking his brain for any reason he could think of why he felt this way. Ever since the invasion of Bowser's castle by Smithy, things had become more complicated in Bowser's Kingdom.

Bowser continued to kidnap Peach, but afterward, he would find that there was a more dangerous threat to Mario and, oddly enough, to him as well. So he traveled _with_ Mario, through the Mushroom Kingdom and other places. He was an _ally_ of all things. How was this so comfortable for him?

These adventures came at a price. Kammy's rants against Mario grew longer. Her "advice" to be a good king like his father grew crueler. Was the world truly one to rule over as conquering king? What good did it really do his father to fight against the natural order? Bowser began to dislike the way he lived. He disliked his failure, and he disliked his goals.

He swore to himself he would never tell Kammy.

.

Of course, such secrets could not be kept for long…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Homecoming and Aftermath

Mario and Luigi walked into their home. The shorter brother came in first, flicking on the light as he entered. The younger massaged his own neck and stretched.

"Daisy would like to hear from you," Mario noted.

"The princess will probably get ahold of her soon," Luigi replied.

Mario nodded. He glanced backward at his brother. He continued to rub the back of his neck.

"You okay, Weeg?"

"Yeah, fine. Just a kink. Pretty crazy world, huh, bro?"

"Yeah… crazy…"

The image of his brother's head coming from Dimentio's likeness had not yet left his mind. If Luigi found out… _He won't. I won't let that happen._

Hopefully things could return to normal. Hopefully the hardest part of their life could be kicking Bowser's shell. Bowser was just an ally, and now he was back to being the enemy. How strange things have become.

.

Bowser paced around his castle. _Did I really come to care about those mustachioed idiots? Nah, it was just Peach I was worried about…_ He growled under his breath, holding back some orange flames. _Maybe I'll feel better if I kidnap her again… That'll bring me back!_ He crossed his arms and nodded. But then, he looked outside and sighed. He was exhausted. Maybe he'll just wait for tomorrow.

And for now, Kammy Koopa wasn't around to bother him or nag. If she had known about his recent alliance with the Mario Brothers… He didn't even want to think about it. But all worlds were at stake! Just like they said, there would be nothing to rule if it was all destroyed, right? Right?

He was tired of the logic and the thinking. He wanted to sleep.

.

Daisy rested her chin on her fist as Peach explained the latest adventure. Mario got the feeling that the pink princess was enjoying it too much. Daisy was probably the tougher princess, they all knew that, so when Peach had an adventure to tell her about, she got a little braggy. The Mario Brothers just looked at each other and shrugged. Daisy rolled her eyes. "Man," she finally said, "Why can't I go on any cool adventures like ya'll?"

Peach grinned. "Right place, right time, I suppose."

"But what about this thing at the end?"

"It was a total boss rush! Man to man, woman to woman!"

"And you saved these people that tried to kill you?"

"It was the right thing to do."

"Pfft. Goody-two-shoes."

Luigi tilted his head. "You'd have done the same thing, Daisy."

Daisy looked at him with a slight blush. "Yeah… probably…"

Mario noted, "Those minions… they were all good people…"

"Except Dimentio," Luigi spoke out.

Mario and Peach tensed. Luckily, Luigi's eyes were on Daisy, so he didn't notice. But Daisy noticed the twitch of Mario's 'stache and Peach wringing her hands afterward. She looked at Luigi then back at them. Peach gave her a look that said: We'll talk later.

Luigi was always the first to retire to his room when the brothers visited the castle. That was lucky for Daisy, because she was not a patient person. When Luigi excused himself, she eyed her best friend. "Okay, so what's the deal?"

Mario looked uneasily at the two women. "Luigi can't know. It would destroy him."

"What would destroy him?"

After some hesitation, Peach decided that they might as well tell Daisy. She wouldn't let it go, anyway. So they told her about Mr. L, the mysterious "man in green" who was the "perfect host" of the Chaos Heart. Daisy's mouth fell open.

"Luigi?" her voice was small.

The two nodded.

She shook her head. There was one thing that she noticed, though, so she held up a finger. "Wait… You said that—besides the evil, I mean—one of the things that was so un-Luigi about him was his arrogance… his over-confidence…"

"Yeah, he was kinda a jerk…" Peach shrugged.

"Don't you get it guys? Confidence!"

They just blinked back at her.

"He has it in him! He needs it!"

Mario stood suddenly. "Tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

"Depends on what you think I'm saying, doesn't it?" she replied with some sass.

"Daisy… you can't try to bring out any part of a 'Mr. L' with him. If he knew…"

"Yes, I know him just as well as you, Mario." She muttered under her breath, "If not better…" Then she continued: "He can't know he's caused any harm to you. But he was brainwashed to believe he was your enemy. That's it. He wasn't brainwashed in ability or anything. He was confident. And he was powerful!"

She had a plan now… a plan to use what she knew of 'Mr. L' to help Luigi to see that confidence and power in himself. She'd have to be careful, but she'd have to do it, for Luigi's sake.

.

"For badness sake, sire!" Kammy Koopa pounded on his bedroom door. "Awaken at once! We've a day of scheming ahead of us!"

The koopa king moaned. "Five more minutes…"

"Underwhere help me, I will blast down this door!"

With another growl, Bowser opened his bedchamber door. "I was going to kidnap the princess of those shroom-heads today, alright?"

"Splendid! We need a good plan."

He knew that was true. He had been foiled too many times to count.

And Bowser came up with a brilliant plan. He hurried out in his clown copter as Kammy waved goodbye. "Best of luck, sire!" she called.

 _I don't need luck_ , Bowser determined.

He approached the castle just as he always did and parked his copter on the tallest spire. He looked down and jumped from the sphere. All he needed to do was sneak into the window and grab the princess. It was early enough in the day for her to still be in her bedchamber, likely getting some breakfast delivered to her. _She'd be better pampered in my castle_ , Bowser thought to himself. _These shrooms don't know nothin'._

He peeked through the glass and smiled. There she was. He burst through the door with a roar. But there was one thing he hadn't noticed. One thing he hadn't planned for in his flawless plan. There was a second princess in the room. And all it took was a chuck of her crown to knock Bowser on his shell. "GACK!" he cried.

"Bowser!" Peach gasped.

"Geez, Turtle! Don't you take a break?" Daisy picked up her crown and dusted it off.

"Oww…" Bowser's eyes started to water from the fierce impact on his snout. "By stars, what the heck was that?!"

"Get out, or there'll be more where that came from!"

Peach looked at him with pity. "Are you alright, Bowser?" she asked.

"I don't need your pity!" Bowser rubbed his snout as he stood. "I'm here to kidnap you!"

"Give it a rest, Bow-Wow," Daisy growled.

Bowser started to summon a flame between his teeth. Peach grabbed her parasol and opened it up as a shield. Bowser had seen her use that tactic on their last adventure… their adventure as a team. He swallowed his flame.

"Change your mind? Or Goomba got your flame?" Daisy asked, suspicious of his sudden hold-back.

 _It's more fun to fight the Mario Brothers than to kidnap Peach_ , Bowser considered. "Maybe I'll come back for you after I roast your boyfriends!" he called as he jumped out the window.

"Oh no, what is he up to?" Peach asked.

"Better warn the guys," Daisy noted.

.

Meanwhile, Bowser landed right in front of his enemy's house. They were ready for him, per the princesses' warning, however, each armed with a fireflower. "Wow, Koopa," Mario spoke up. "This is an interesting strategy, going for us first!"

"I'll do what I like!" Bowser roared.

"Sure enough."

A fire battle ensued. Bowser spat flames at the brothers, and they threw blazes back. Bowser still just felt like he was going through the motions, though. When Mario finally grabbed his tail and tossed him away, he landed with a frown. "What's the matter with me? That was way too easy for them!"

"That was… surprisingly easy," Mario noticed.

"Maybe you're just so used to it by now," Luigi suggested with a shrug.

Mario looked off in the direction Bowser was thrown. "Yeah… maybe…" There was something off about that battle. What was Bowser's angle? He may need to search him out and get to the bottom of it. He'd go alone. Luigi needed rest from the last excursion.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Motives and Identities

Mario had left him alone again. At least that was an advantage to Daisy at the moment. She wanted to start her plan as soon as possible, and now was as good a time as she would get. She knocked on the door and her green-clad hero answered it. "Daisy!" his eyes always brightened when he saw her. It was enough to make her heart flutter.

"Hey, Weeg. What's going on?" she came inside.

"Nothing really. Mario and I just kicked Bowser's shell. I think he went out to make sure he stayed… um… kicked."

Daisy took a seat, and Luigi plopped next to her.

"So what are you doing outside the kingdom boundaries?" he asked.

"I wanted to hear more about your latest adventure. It's not often you're a part of things. But look at you! A destined hero!"

"Well…" Luigi scratched the back of his head. "It was more right-place, right-time, I think. Too bad I can't remember half of it… Mario was telling me about a whole half of an adventure they went on. Then, next thing I know I'm in the Underwhere of all places! Thank goodness Mario found me there! I don't think I would've ever gotten out of that place on my own."

"You sell yourself too short, Luigi."

Luigi was used to such a line from Daisy. But honestly, he couldn't imagine what would've happened if Mario hadn't come for him. "…and how did I even end up there?" he asked aloud. "The last thing I remember—" He tried so hard to do so, his head started pounding. "Ow… never mind. All's well that ends well, right?"

Daisy nodded with a smile. "No matter what happens, it all seems to work out in the end for you, Weegie. You're a pretty good hero in that regard."

"Dumb luck?"

"That's not what I meant."

"But it's true." Luigi shook his head. "Anyway, the toughest of enemies had to be Dimentio! But… after my last battle with him, he… I don't…" His head was starting to ache again.

"Say, Luigi…" Daisy wanted to go for it now before his head exploded or something. "Are you sure you don't remember any other fights… maybe fights where you were a genius and could hold your own against… maybe one of the strongest enemies you could face?"

Luigi looked at her like she sprouted another head. "Mario and Peach told you about the journey. There really wasn't anything they missed."

"But if there was half an adventure you missed while you weren't with them…" _That's it, Daisy… keep it separate. If he remembers Mario being that enemy, he'll freak._

"Probably just knocked out in the Underworld after Nastasia got a hold of me…" He frowned. "A lot of good I was to the team."

Clearly this angle wasn't working. It was time to bring out the good parts of Mr. L. Without letting Luigi remember… or letting Mario find out.

.

Bowser had burnt down his ninth tree when he found himself face to face with his greatest enemy. He roared, "What are you doing here? Kicking me while I'm down?" He was in a sour mood.

"You're losing your edge, Bowser," Mario told him. "Or something. That was the easiest battle I ever fought. And I've faced millions of goombas."

Bowser's eyes flared. "Watch it, Mario! I'll clobber you right here!"

Mario's brow furrowed. "Then why didn't you?"

Bowser just looked at him.

"I just insulted you… and all you did was threaten me. That's not like you. You would've flown at me, claws flying, flames falling."

Bowser gulped. _Burn it! He's right. Why didn't I…?_ He roared again. "Oh yeah, well… well… I…"

Mario raised an eyebrow.

"Drop it, Red Stache!" He scurried away.

Mario, of all people, could never catch wind of his doubts. NEVER. _Whatever this feeling is, I better get rid of it fast. I'm a ferocious Koopa King! I am the ruler of the Koopa Kingdom and the rightful ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom… just like pop said…_

 _._

 _Powser put a claw on his son's shoulder. "You see that kingdom out there, son?" he asked. "There's a princess there about your age. You'll be the king of that place. You'll take her as a bride and rule these two kingdoms with an iron claw!"_

 _"Yes, father, I will!" the little Koopa growled._

 _But within a few years the plans fell apart before his very eyes. His father was defeated by a young 'hero'. A nameless boy from the outskirts of the kingdom. The very same hero that had squashed his infant dreams on a tribe of yoshis. He had sworn revenge on him, all while trying to capture that princess that was supposed to be his bride._

 _._

"And finally she was!" he growled. "Or she almost was…" He sighed a spurt of fire. "Pop would've been so proud."

.

Mario wandered back home, barely paying any attention to the bushes, bricks, and pipes along the way. He almost tripped on a discarded koopa's shell. He couldn't wrap his head around it or even really name what it was… but Bowser was different. He was softer, somehow. Or was it just Mario's imagination after teaming up with the Koopa King to save the dimensions?

He glanced up toward his house, where he saw the orange and yellow-clad princess leaving. "Oh no…" he mumbled. Of course Daisy wouldn't pay Mario's instruction any mind, but he at least hoped that she would be wary enough of Luigi's feelings and reaction to keep from bringing out Mr. L. "Daisy…" he growled.

"Oh, hi, Mario," she grinned.

"Don't play dumb, Daisy!" he shouted. Then, he immediately switched to a whisper, "He can't know."

"He's not going to know, Mario! But is it so wrong for me to want him to be more confident in himself?"

"That's Mr. L…"

"He IS Mr. L."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true. Mr. L—the good parts of him—are in him somewhere!"

She left him with that. But Mario was still not convinced. "Are there any good parts of Mr. L? Because as far as I'm concerned, Mr. L is the anti-Luigi. And my little brother is perfect the way he is. Any opposite just wouldn't be him."

.

He almost laughed at his idea, but he settled for an evil grin. He had the perfect plan. He was back, and no past alliance was going to stop him from reaching his childhood dreams. This was it, and he was holding nothing back.

He called upon his army and gave them instructions to siege the city. He called upon Kammy to nab the princesses. He left it to himself to distract the plumbers. This was going to be a piece of cake.

He set out again in his clown copter, hovering over the brothers' home quietly. Never before had he attacked twice in one day. He hoped that would give him an edge.

.

Daisy had just reached the castle when she heard a piercing scream from the upper room. "Peach!" she called, running to her friend's aid.

Unfortunately, that was all Kammy needed her to do. Using her magic, she trapped them in the princess's chambers. The guards and soldiers tried to bust their way in, but to no avail.

"You rotten hag!" Daisy growled.

"Watch it, princesses… or I may turn you into hags yourselves!" Kammy grinned. "Master Bowser won't mind, I'm sure." She narrowed her eyes toward Daisy. "Then again… I don't exactly need to keep _you_ alive, flower princess."

Daisy's eyes flashed. "Bring it, witch!"

"D-Daisy…" Peach whispered, grabbing her friend.

"Oh, don't worry…" Kammy laughed. "Maybe we can work out a deal. Keep the flower princess alive with your agreement on wedding King Koopa."

"Why does everyone want me to marry Bowser?!" Peach groaned.

"Where _is_ Bowser?" Daisy asked. "Isn't he usually the one who does the kidnapping?"

Kammy laughed. "He's taking care of things outside of town…"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Fights and Frustrations

Bowser cannonballed his machine through the roof of the brothers' house. With a crash, the house was in shambles. The copter bottom having cut up the rafters into splinters. The brothers only barely got out of it in time. Mario landed hard on his elbow, letting out a slight yelp. Luigi tumbled through a window, shattering the glass.

"That was a bold strike, Bowser!" Mario shouted, rubbing his funny bone. He looked back toward Luigi, who adjusted his cap and overalls, which each had some loose threads and holes from getting cut with the glass. Otherwise, though, his brother was thankfully unscathed.

"Bwa ha ha ha ha!" Bowser laughed and roared. "This is where it ends, Mario brothers!"

"We'll see about that!" Mario used the splintered wood to climb up above the copter. He sprung at Bowser, landing at the edge of his clown bowl and punching him in the snout.

"OW!" Bowser roared again and slashed at Mario. Mario easily dodged, but fell from his perch, landing hard in the broken wood.

"M-Mario!" Luigi cried.

"Next!" Bowser looked at Luigi.

Luigi's heart sank. But he needed to get to his brother to make sure he was still breathing. He tightened his fists and started running. Bowser blew fire at him, which caught onto the wood around him. He ran in zigzags and doubled back a few times, but he eventually got to his brother. "Mario! Mario, are you okay?"

Mario's face was stuck in a wince, but he opened his eyes. Then, his eyes opened wider. "Luigi!" he croaked.

A rain of fire flooded down on them, making the splintered wood a pyre. Luigi cried out but wrenched his brother from the wood, jumped out, and rolled with him across the ground. The fire on them was put out, but their clothes were singed and their skin was burnt. The side of Mario's mustache was charcoal-black, and Luigi's cap was destroyed.

Bowser jumped out of his machine, landing hard in the pyre, the force sending out wooden fireballs in every direction. Mario held up his hands to protect himself and his brother behind him.

Bowser growled and advanced. Luigi trembled behind Mario, Mario could feel it. He stepped back to him and put a hand against him in protection.

As Bowser walked slowly toward them, he was pleased at the result. Bowser hadn't seen this look on them toward him since they were children. Well, actually, Luigi had the look a lot, but Mario… he actually looked a little unsure and—dare he say?— _scared_. The singed mustaches, the ruined home… _this_ is what he needed. He needed destruction. _This_ was fun. Destroying anything he touched… striking fear in the hearts of his enemy… Yes… Yes indeed he was back. He was himself again. He…

He stopped. All he had been doing was walking slowly toward them. Luigi still trembled behind his brother, but Mario… Mario had that look on his face again… that curious look…

All Bowser had to do was spit another stream of fire. He could've done that five minutes ago and finished off the brothers. He couldn't figure out why he didn't. It should have been natural… it should've been instinct. _What the Underwhere is wrong with me?_ Because even now… when he actively thought of breathing that last flame… he couldn't.

Frustrated, he roared into the air. He spit fire upward, the embers landing around the three combatants, setting the grass itself on fire. Smoke was rising up above the remains of Mario's house. Fire had been set to the whole area. He gave a laugh to save face, then turned and jumped into his clown car. He left the brothers standing amongst the flames and flew off toward the city.

.

The city was overrun with koopas of all types and even an army of goombas. Paratroopas were dive-bombing into windows, frightening the people within. Lakitu-koopas were acting like UFOs, grabbing residents from the streets and carrying them off in their clouds. It was a full-on attack, and so far, the castle made no effort to stop it. There was no movement from the Mario brothers' house either.

Toad and Toadette were huddled under a bench, trying to keep out of sight. Toad looked toward the direction of Mario's home and gasped, poking his sister to look too. There was thick, black smoke rising from the area. They looked at each other. What happened?

Toadette looked up around the city. Bowser's minions were everywhere! There was no way they'd be able to run to Mario's place without being noticed. Toad whispered, "Maybe we can split up… at least one of us can get the bros. We'll both go towards the house, but from different angles."

Toadette nodded.

"Ready?"

She nodded again, but her face said: Not in the least.

Toad gave an attempt at a reassuring smile. "One… two… three… GO!"

The mushroom children ran out from their safety and headed in opposite directions. They were not used to running. Neither of them were very fast either. That's what made it so easy for one lakitu to grab both kids in a matter of seconds.

"Well… that didn't work…" Toad frowned.

Toadette wriggled and kicked, but there was no breaking free. She looked over toward the brothers' house, praying to the stars that they were okay. Toad followed her gaze and rested a hand on her shoulder. "They're the Mario Brothers… They're probably fine."

Then, they saw Bowser flying from that direction, toward them. Their eyes widened. Neither wanted to speak aloud what they were thinking, but Toad's assurances were beginning to fall flat.

.

Daisy kept throwing whatever she could get her hands on at Kammy Koopa. But it was to no avail. The koopa witch had put up a shield of sorts, and everything, from knickknacks to chairs, bounced right off it and landed on the floor beside her. Daisy growled and stomped while Peach looked on worriedly.

"Mario will be here any minute to save us," she told the hag.

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Bowser's voice rolled through the window. Kammy let him in. "Good day, Princess. How are you?"

"Miserable," Daisy picked up something to throw at the large Koopa.

"I wasn't asking you," Bowser's eyes never left Peach.

"Bowser… stop this…" Peach pleaded. "Aren't you tired of losing?"

"Oh, but I didn't."

"You will, as soon as Mario gets here."

Bowser smiled. Peach didn't like it.

"What?"

"Mario won't be making it anywhere in his state."

Peach gasped. "No… it can't be…"

Daisy threw the chair at Bowser, but he swatted it down. "What are you talking about, Bowser?" she asked.

"The Mario Brothers are… how should I put it… oh, I know… _defeated_."

Daisy froze, the next knickknack she was about to throw held straight above her head. "W-What do you mean… 'defeated'?"

Bowser finally turned to her, the glint in his eye was the worst thing she had ever seen. Her knees fell from under her, and she collapsed on the floor, all the energy draining from her.

"No…" Peach shook her head. "That's impossible…"

"Congratulations, Master Bowser! I knew you could do it!" Kammy laughed. "Your father would be proud."

Peach kept shaking her head. Daisy stared at the ground.

"Shall I make arrangements for the wedding?"

.

"Our house!" Luigi wailed.

"Be thankful it's not us…" Mario waved his hat at the last bit of flame around them and stomped it out under his shoe. _Why isn't it us? I mean… I'm as glad as anyone not to be dead… but Bowser… he could've finished us off right then and there…_

Luigi, meanwhile, was filling up a bowl with water and splashing it toward any open flame in the house. Mario went to do the same, and soon the fire was out.

"I have a feeling we'll be needed at the castle…"

"D-D-D-Do we have to?" Luigi shivered.

"You can stay behind and see what's left unsinged."

"I-I-I-I think I will."

Mario smiled and patted his brother on the head. "See if you have a spare cap in good shape."

Luigi looked sadly at his cap. It looked more like a headband now.

Mario headed off toward the Mushroom Kingdom. He stopped at the border of the city. "Woah."

The mushroom people were in a panic. Most of them were in the air, flailing madly against the koopas that held them aloft. The citizens that were still on the ground were running back and forth with their arms in the air, screaming.

Mario had never seen such disarray.

Then, from above him, he heard: "Master Mario!"

He looked up and saw two familiar mushrooms looking down at him, relief on their faces. The lakitu carrying them held up a spiny ball.

"Release those kids!" he shouted at him.

"Yeah, right, mustache!" the koopa yelled down. He chucked the spiny ball at Mario, who dodged effortlessly.

"Alright… you asked for it." He jumped up on some rocks and trees and made it up to the lakitu's level. Lakitu stared at him in fear, and Mario came down on him, kicking him right out of his cloud. He tumbled to the ground, lying flat after rolling a bit.

"Master Mario!" Toadette hugged him.

"What's going on?"

"We thought you were dead!" Toad wiped a small tear from his eye.

"Aw, you two worriers! It was Bowser fighting me, come on. Bowser never wins." Mario tried to play it off as no worries, but if Bowser hadn't held back…

"Bowser's at the castle!" Toad said. "He's after the princess again!"

"No surprise there." Mario steered the cloud toward the castle, then stopped. "Actually… let's make a pit stop…" If he was going up against Bowser again, he needed to be prepared this time.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Fears and Hesitations

Fully stocked with mushrooms, fire flowers, and even a star or two, Mario headed for the highest spire of Peach's castle. Upon closer inspection, it was draped in a strange dark and violet energy wave. However, Mario couldn't stop now. After stopping at the store and dropping the mushroom kids off under a bush, the cloud he was riding was about to disappear. He pulled out a star and jumped out of the cloud just in time, crashing through the window and through the plasma energy around it.

The four in the room stared at him in pure shock.

"Mario?" Peach's eyes welled up with tears.

Bowser growled. Daisy's jaw dropped. Kammy shrieked.

"Master Bowser!" Kammy raged. "I thought you said he was dead!"

Mario turned to him, "You said I was dead? Come on, Bowser…"

"I said he was defeated!" Bowser corrected, crossing his arms.

"That does not look very defeated!" Kammy waved her wand frantically in his direction.

He smiled and formed a fireball. "I can show you what defeated looks like, King Koopa."

Bowser rumbled, fire forming at his lips. "Bring it, plumber!"

Mario's fireball was ready… as soon as Bowser attacked, he'd throw it… any second now…

Kammy looked back and forth between them. "Oh for badness sake!" She flicked her wand forward towards Mario, who turned immediately and countered the blast with his fireball. He chucked another fireball at her and she wailed. "ACK! Master Bowser! Do something!" She flew around the room frantically, her broom on fire.

The princesses couldn't help but laugh at her misfortune. Bowser even held back a chuckle. Kammy ended up repairing it with her wand, but steam was nearly coming from her ears as she saw her audience. "MASTER BOWSER!"

Bowser shook out of it, back to reality. There was Peach… lovely Peach… behind Mario. He needed to fight. He dove at him with his claws extended.

That was not the attack Mario expected. He jumped back, but got scratched a bit in the stomach. He winced but forced a fireball into Bowser's face. The beast held up his claw and came down, but Mario stopped it with his hands. They struggled against each other for awhile before Bowser realized he had another claw to use. He brought it down toward Mario's face, but this time a pink sphere opened in front of him and pushed him backward. Peach had opened her parasol against him.

"You okay, Mario?" she asked.

"Of course! Thanks, Princess!" he gave a wink and a peace sign.

Bowser roared in frustration again. He could finish it… here and now with Kammy's help he could end it. He could win.

…but he didn't want to.

"Tactical retreat, Kammy!" he growled.

"What?!" everyone in the room asked him.

"Let's go!" He jumped in his clown mobile and flew off, a hesitant Kammy behind him.

Kammy tried to catch up, "You could've won, Master Bowser…"

"Nah… Mario always wins…" he lied.

.

Daisy wrapped her arms around Luigi, holding back her relieved tears. "I'll get you a new hat, Weeg," she promised him.

"Ah… it's just a hat…" he patted her back, knowing full well she was worried to death about him.

"I can't believe we survived that…" Mario mumbled. He looked off toward the direction of Bowser's castle. _What is going on with him?_

"What's that?" Luigi asked.

"Uh… nothing…" Mario shrugged. "Just saying… um… we easily survived that."

Luigi looked at him skeptically. His brother was reading him like an open book. Daisy pulled away quickly, a sly smirk on her face. "That's right! You did! Both of you did!"

"Daisy…" Mario said warningly.

She didn't pay him any mind. "You're pretty powerful, Weegie!"

Luigi frowned. "It was mainly Mario…"

"Oh, come on! Luigi, you are on-par with Mario! You could probably take him in a fight!" She retracted. _Oops._

Luigi shook his head violently. "No way! Not that I'd want to anyway…" He looked at his brother, who was giving him a soft smile. He turned back toward Daisy. "But no way!"

"A-Anyway…" Peach was anxious to change the subject. "You guys are welcome to stay at the castle until your house can be… um… fixed."

Mario and Luigi looked at the wreckage. "Thanks, Peach," Mario smiled. He held out his elbow to her. "Shall we?"

Peach stifled a giggle. "We shall." And she took his arm.

As he passed Daisy, Mario whispered, "That was too close, Daisy. Let it go." And continued on.

Daisy sighed. She looked at Luigi, who was staring at the broken house. She put out her hand and cleared her throat. Luigi looked at her, and she looked meaningfully at his arm. He reddened. "Oh… sorry, Daisy…" He put out his elbow for her, and she grasped it with a small peck on his cheek, making him even redder.

.

"His biggest fear is causing harm to come to us, so LET. IT. GO." Mario was saying.

Daisy sighed. "I know, I know… but still…"

Luigi was getting washed up while the others sat around a lounging area of the castle. The mushroom servants were tripping over themselves trying to make the four of them comfortable. They felt so bad about not being able to bust into the princess's chambers when they needed to.

"Daisy!" Mario nearly shouted.

"Would you two stop bickering for _five minutes_?" Peach asked, exasperated.

"What now?" Toad and Toadette came in, huge grins on their faces. They were always amused by the constant arguments between the Sarasaland Princess and their local hero. Usually, they were arguments about Luigi, but the only arguments the mushroom children ever heard were the petty we-don't-want-to-agree-with-each-other-on-anything arguments.

The two arguers stopped when they appeared though. "Nothing…" Mario mumbled.

"It's not important…" Daisy shrugged.

"It's important… just not easy to explain," Mario disagreed.

"It's very easy to explain. We're just choosing not to."

Peach rolled her eyes. "I guess you can't."

The children giggled. This was the type of argument they were used to. They didn't care about the secrecy.

Soon enough, Luigi came down. He was still a little shell-shocked from the day, but Daisy sat him next to her and rubbed his back a bit. He shivered every once in awhile and absentmindedly scratched his hatless head. Other than that, he tried to remain focused in the conversation.

"So… anyone else notice Bowser acting weird?" Mario asked.

"Moreso than usual?" Daisy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Mario dismissed her joke with a serious furrow of his brow. "Very strange."

"Well… he did retreat when he didn't have to…" Peach said. "I mean… I really thought we didn't stand much of a chance against him and Kammy…"

"And his ambush plan was better this time around… maybe he knows something we don't," Daisy added. "Maybe he's taking things more seriously… getting better at evil plans…"

"Hm… I don't think so…" Mario rubbed his chin. "I mean, sure, his ambush was perfect and he actually came close to winning… but… I don't know… it was almost like… he was… holding back?"

"Bowser?" Peach asked. "No way. That's not like him at all."

"Exactly." He looked at Luigi. He wanted to say, 'He could've killed us.' But seeing his brother made him backtrack. He didn't want to bring that up. But that was the best evidence he had. He decided he would have to figure it out on his own.

Yes… Bowser could've killed them… so why didn't he jump at the chance?

.

"What was that about, Your Awfulness?" Kammy kept nagging.

Bowser just wanted to be left alone. "I… um… have another plan… That one… um… wasn't working out…" he tried. "Anyway, I need to take a walk through my kingdom… catch you later, Kammy!" And with that, he stormed out of his castle and took a walk through his moonlit kingdom.

"What is the matter with me?!" he scoffed at himself. "I had them right where I wanted them! I had them right in the palm of my claw! So what the Underwhere was I thinking leaving a perfect plot? I won… I WON!" He roared.

"Yeah, you did…" the voice made him visibly jump. "So why didn't you?"

He turned and was once again staring Mario in the mustache.

"Everything okay, Bowser?"

Bowser just stared at him. He couldn't even open his mouth. What could he say? Nothing.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Truths and Dares

Daisy was determined to break Luigi out of his trance. She had never seen him so… blank. He was scared to death right now, and Mario hadn't done anything about it. So she had to. And she knew how. So after Peach retired to her room, she knocked on Luigi's door.

He opened it, visibly concerned. "Everything okay, Daisy?" he asked.

"Walk with me," she said.

They went out to the courtyard, where they spent every night the week after they met. Daisy gestured for him to sit at the fountain. He sat beside her and they looked at the moon in silence. The chill of winter hadn't completely set in, but the stone fountain was like sitting on ice.

"Luigi… you're stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know."

Luigi nodded. "You always tell me that…"

"Because it's true." She turned to him now, her face serious. "You need to know that you had a greater role in that last journey of yours than Mario and Peach would have you know."

"What do you mean?"

Daisy worked out her words in her head. "You were a force to be reckoned with."

"I don't remember being any such thing…"

"You may not… but if you asked Peach or Mario, they'd tell you the same thing."

"Why haven't they, then?"

"Because… it's more complicated than that… But you don't need to worry about that part."

"What part?"

"Don't worry about it."

Luigi looked at Daisy skeptically. "Daisy… I appreciate it and all… but—"

"It's the truth, Luigi. You are strong… and you have confidence inside you… or at least the right to be confident!"

"C-Confident?"

Daisy was standing now. "Weeg… there is so much inside you! And it can break free if you let it! I mean, don't let it all out, sure, but—"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a whole other side of you… a confident, powerful… force to be reckoned with!"

Luigi blinked at her.

"…genius… inventive… cunning…"

He still just blinked.

"Luigi…" she sighed and sat down, defeated. "You have it inside you, I swear…"

Luigi gave a half-hearted smile and put his hand on hers. "Thanks, Daisy."

With a yawn, he went back to his room, leaving Daisy to look up at the moon alone. A cloud had been hiding it, but as she watched, it slowly unveiled the full orb.

.

"I'll guess…" Mario rubbed his stache. "I would say that you're tired of losing and want to switch sides… but based on our encounter, I'd say that is not the correct assumption. So… about that encounter… you had us… you could've defeated us for good… no extra lives, no coming back. But… you didn't. You hesitated. You didn't want to kill us. Peach was nowhere in sight, so obviously you weren't sparing anyone for her sake."

Bowser gulped.

"Bowser… it's not hard to imagine that after teaming up with us so many times… you've actually grown to… like us a little."

Bowser scoffed. "Bah! I'd never like you plumbers!"

"Like us or not… you _care_."

"…Do not…"

"Sure." Mario winked. "Don't worry… you're secret is safe with me…" And he left.

Bowser wanted to scream. Because Mario was right.

.

The nightmare had been too real. Not only that, it had been _familiar_. As if he was reliving something that actually happened. But it made no sense… right?

Luigi wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his gloves before putting them on. Everything Daisy had told him last night… That dream… it was as if he tried to let those traits Daisy was talking about break free like she said… But it wasn't just confidence that he felt… He felt… _evil_. But why did that feeling feel so familiar?

He found himself at the table for breakfast before he was fully awake. Mario was waving a hand in front of his face. "You still sleeping, Weeg?" he asked.

Luigi blinked. "Yeah…" He smiled. "I guess so."

It was only a dream…

.

Bowser wished it was just a dream… but he had all but revealed his secret to Mario. Oh, yes, there was no doubt Mario knew. And now, worst of all, he was starting to wonder why he should keep it a secret at all. Kammy was his servant, after all. Wouldn't she just go with whatever he wished and desired? That was her job.

He gathered up all his courage and approached the old koopa. "Kammy… I need to address something with you…"

"So formal, Your Badness…" she peered at him behind her glasses. "What's the occasion?"

"Well… I've been thinking… I mean, sure the princess is desirable with the whole 'taking over her kingdom' thing… and Mario is a pain and avenge-worthy for my father… but… well…"

"Yes…?"

Bowser slouched. "I don't know… My heart's just not in it anymore."

"Hm…" Kammy's eyes narrowed. She looked her king up and down. "I have a thought."

"Yes?"

"There's a plan I've been working on… it's almost ready, actually… I'm sure that these… feelings… will fade soon enough. In the meantime, just wreak some havoc as you enjoy, kidnap the princess a little… go about your thing… I'll tell you when your surprise is ready."

Bowser inwardly sighed, then gave a fake smirk. "Alright."

But he wasn't feeling it at all. Instead of wreaking havoc, he walked through his kingdom. He never felt like kidnapping Peach, and he never even entered the Mushroom Kingdom. Days passed before Mario found him again, and to his dismay, he found himself kart racing with the heroes. Away from Kammy's watch, he actually started visiting the Mushroom Kingdom as a guest, not an invader. He was even invited to a party in his honor. Bowser was, by all appearances, a good-guy now.

.

Every night Daisy had been talking Luigi up. And every morning the green plumber had been awakening in a pool of his own sweat. It was the same dream, crisper and clearer every night. The horrified expression on his face would not go unnoticed… so he gave the excuse of his pallor to be illness and stayed in bed for a couple days.

But he had to come downstairs eventually.

And when he did, his pallor didn't need an excuse.

"ACK! MARIO!"

Mario came running. "Oh… Luigi… you're feeling better?"

"M-Mario… wh-what is… _he_ doing in the castle?"

Mario looked at Bowser, who was holding back laughter for so easily scaring the younger brother. "Oh… don't worry, Luigi… he won't hurt you. He's one of us now."

"O-One of us?" Luigi inched closer to Mario's back.

"Yeah…" Mario trailed off. Luigi was not going to easily adjust to Bowser being there. He patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Weeg. I'm right here."

Luigi gulped and followed Mario and Bowser to the entrance hall.

"Hi, Mister Bowser!" Toadette smiled. "Back again?"

Bowser grumbled. Luigi stared at Toadette. _Mister_ Bowser? He cracked a smile but did his best to refrain from chuckling. He had a feeling Bowser would not appreciate that.

"I was just leaving, actually…" Bowser answered. "I need to get back so Kammy doesn't get suspicious… She's still not too keen on the whole 'joining forces' thing."

"She'll warm up to us," Mario grinned. He ushered Bowser out the door, then returned to his brother in the lounge area. Peach was taking care of some diplomatic things with Toadsworth, and Daisy had gone home a couple days ago.

"Mario…" Luigi started. "I… I have a question… about our last adventure…"

Mario tensed, but he tried his best to hide it. "Yeah?"

It didn't go unnoticed by Luigi. "Well… Daisy was talking about how even though there was a half of the adventure I wasn't part of… I had… I don't know… an experience of my own during that time…?"

"Did she?" Mario was clenching his teeth now. _What part of 'let it go' did she not understand?_

"Thing is… I feel like… I mean… I think…" He scratched his head through his new cap. "I feel like I remember something…"

"You do?" Mario sat forward on his chair. "What do you remember?"

Luigi looked at him, and Mario's heart sank. Tears were already filling his eyes. Mario knew exactly what he remembered… everything.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Doubt and Punishment

"You couldn't just wait," her voice was unlike he'd ever heard before. It wasn't disappointment, per se. It was more like… she lost all of her respect for him in three seconds or less.

"Kammy—"

"Don't utter any excuse, you disgrace!"

Yep, he definitely lost her respect.

"It's not an excuse!" Bowser roared. "I was never into it more than an avenging mission… but even that was shallow-caused. Pop was defeated by the boy he was trying to kill! Self-defense means something here! And as for Princess Peach… I've realized something… She cares! She actually cares about me even though I always took her away from her home. They're nice people and there's really no reason to—"

"Do you hear yourself right now? Do you hear what you're saying? What kind of villain are you?!"

"The kind that realizes when he's beat."

"You could've won."

"That's not what I'm talking about." He hung his head. "My motives are beat… my ambitions are beat… And I'm accepting defeat."

"That is not the Koopa King I know."

"The Koopa King you know is dead."

"Not… anymore…"

The way she said that… sounded ominous.

"What?"

"The one I serve will live again…" Then, she added in almost a whisper, "Too bad you couldn't just wait…"

.

Mario had never been so angry in his life, but he had to hide it for now. Luigi needed comfort. If Mario let any anger out, Luigi would feel like the target. But Luigi wasn't the target… and Mario wished his target wasn't currently out of the kingdom. Though she had come back for Bowser's party, she was gone again for awhile. Diplomacy stuff of her own. In his opinion, the princess of Sarasaland was too hard-headed to be diplomatic. Clearly Luigi's state of absolute inconsolability was evidence to that.

"Luigi, it wasn't you… I mean, not really… You were hypnotized, brainwashed… Weeg… We know it wasn't you…"

"If what Daisy said was true… I-I-I could've…"

"But you didn't."

"But I hurt you! I made your journey that much more difficult… I-I… I hurt you…"

"Luigi look at me! I'm fine! Peach is fine. Heck, even Bowser is okay!" He lifted up his brother's face to look at him. "We're all fine. Think nothing of it. Nothing went wrong!"

Luigi shook his head. "But I…"

"It wasn't you, okay? It wasn't!"

He desperately needed a more effective way to calm his brother down. He was shaking more violently than when Bowser attacked before. He was scared of himself now, and Mario couldn't protect him from himself.

"Luigi… you were hypnotized. It wasn't your fault…"

He shook his head, breathing brokenly.

Mario lifted him to stand and walked with him through the castle, to a guest room. He knocked on the door, and Toad answered. "Yikes! What's going on?" he asked upon seeing Luigi's state.

"Luigi needs… to get his mind off some stuff… Can you guys help distract him?"

Toad grinned. "Our specialty! Come on, Toadette!"

Toadette appeared in the background with a concerned frown toward Luigi. Mario snapped her a look, and her frown quickly turned upside-down. "Come on, Master Luigi! Have you seen the flowers I planted yet?" She took him by the hand and dragged him out to the gardens. Toad followed behind. He looked back at Mario with a question on his face, but Mario shook his head. He would tell Toad and Toadette about it later, if Luigi didn't.

.

Mario sent a mail koopa to Sarasaland within three minutes of sending Luigi off. Then, he went up to interrupt Peach, much to Toadsworth's dismay and Peach's relief, until she found out why.

"He knows?" she summed up.

"Oh, he knows… and I'll tell you why he knows…" Mario growled.

"Mario, calm down. Secrets can't be kept… it's the curse of a secret."

"Secrets are _supposed_ to be kept… it's the _point_ of a secret."

"You can't really blame Daisy for—"

"Yes, I can! The dream would've never entered his head if she hadn't tried to bring Mr. L out of him! The secret would stay buried forever. No one had to know! No one had to mention it! But Daisy just _had_ to mess with his head and bring up all his doubts… and _his biggest fear_! That's no good for him. I don't care what Daisy says. She messed up!"

And that's exactly what he told her when she arrived, frantic and frazzled, at the entrance hall of the castle. She growled and grumbled while Peach tried to stop Mario's attack on her sense. Soon, Peach brought Daisy up to her room and sent Mario to the kitchen to calm down.

"He's right, Peach…" Daisy said.

"Daisy, it's okay… it would've happened—"

"No. It happened because I was stubborn! It happened because I was so intent on making Luigi see what he was capable of! It happened because… I messed up."

To Peach's shock, her friend was starting to cry. Daisy hardly ever cried. Peach couldn't even think of a time that she did before.

"I shouldn't have tried to make Luigi what he isn't. Mr. L is the complete opposite of the man I love… Why did I try to bring that out in him?"

Her head fell into her hands and the princesses sat there in silence for a long time.

.

When he came, they all knew.

The princesses heard the crash. Luigi and the mushroom kids saw the destruction. Mario saw him.

It was someone he never expected to see again, but the black arcane energy radiating from him made him certain it wasn't natural. That didn't give him any relief. If anything, it made the monster's presence worse. He was bigger than Mario remembered. He looked doubly as angry. And for all Mario knew, he had the magic of Kammy Koopa at his fingertips. This would not go well.

"Back for a rematch, I presume?" Mario asked the giant koopa, all the appearance of confidence about him.

"After what I've seen you've done to my son, let's call this _revenge_ ," Powser replied, voice deep and earth-shaking.

"You've seen Bowser then?" Mario prepped a fire flower.

"I didn't take much time to chat when I saw he was a traitor… I don't chat with my enemies, and I won't chat with you!" With a huge inhale, he spat a large cone of fire at the red hero. Mario barely got away.

Luigi came running and gasped. "P-Powser?!"

Toad and Toadette screeched to a halt then stepped backwards. Daisy and Peach ran downstairs.

"Oh good! You're all in one place. How convenient!" Powser blasted another cone of fire. Mario pulled Peach out of the range. Luigi jumped backwards, and Daisy pinned herself against a wall to avoid the blast radius.

Powser continued to blow fire. He was annoyed at their dodging.

"You're not even going to fight back? What pathetic heroes you turned out to be!"

"M-Mario… Wh-What do we—?"

"Master Mario! Master Luigi!" Toadette called from behind them and tossed them something. It was from the royal power-up reserves. Two blue shells and two bracelets, the charms the Mario Brothers stored their special abilities in for future use. Luigi's was green and bursting with electricity. Mario's was red and dancing with flames.

The bros looked at each other, then gave a wink and a peace sign back toward the mushroom kids. "Just what we needed!" Mario declared. He formed a large fireball in his hands. Fire flowers can't compare.

"Here we go…" Luigi's hands crackled with electricity.

Together, they blasted their foe, causing an explosion that knocked him backwards… an inch or so.

"Wh-What?!" Mario groaned.

Powser laughed. "Weak!" Fire came from him again. But just then, the wall came tumbling down next to them, blocking the flames. "WHAT?!"

Bowser was behind the wall. His shell was cracked in several places, his hair was singed, and he had a claw mark across his snout. "You've got to take out Kammy's magic first, dummies," he snorted at the brothers.

"Bowser…" Mario started, "Are you o—" He stopped upon seeing Bowser's glare. Right, no pity. "Of course you are." He turned to Luigi. "Kammy's magic… what's the weak point?"

Luigi closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Why are you asking Greenie?" Bowser questioned.

"He's got an extreme eye for detail. He can spot a weak point on an enemy from a mile away."

Bowser frowned. "My tail…"

"Yep."

Bowser looked at Luigi with a whole new light.

"Of course!" Luigi opened his eyes. "Just like Bowser when he was a baby… same spell to make him bigger and all…"

"You mean back on Yoshi's Island?" Mario tilted his head.

"Powser's snout…"

Bowser rubbed his own snout when the memory sunk in. "Those Yoshi eggs _hurt_."

Just then, a claw came through their temporary shield. And Powser wasted no time in blasting them with a tornado of fire breath, hitting each target easily.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Finality and Ending

The mushroom children screamed. Powser merely laughed. Peach froze, and even Daisy couldn't do much. "Who's next?" Powser's eyes glinted.

Suddenly, a fiery bolt hit his snout. "NO!"

He glared at the Mario brothers, who had just wriggled out from their protective blue shells. The mushroom children cheered. The shells were cracked terribly, but they had done their duty for now. Bowser's own shell was falling apart, but he too was able to avoid a worse hit. He huffed beside the brothers.

"Leave it to us, Bowser. Take a break or something," Mario insisted.

"Bah! I don't need your pity!" Bowser replied stubbornly.

Powser took a step back, inhaling a deep breath. Their shells would not hold up for what was about to happen. Suddenly, Bowser leapt forward with acrobatics unexpected from the large koopa. He sunk his claws into his father's feet, causing the bigger koopa to lose balance and fall backwards onto his shell, his flames flying up in a geyser rather than at the targets again.

The brothers sprang into action, jumping up on top of the downed koopa and slamming their open palms into his snout, magic shining. With a tremble and a blink, Powser was down to his original size. And he was crumbling beneath them. Kammy's magic was holding the revived beast together. Now that it was gone, Powser would fall apart himself.

"I'm sorry, father…" Bowser closed his eyes and turned away.

That was as much of a blessing the brothers would get to finally end this battle once and for all. With another burst of thunder and fire, Powser was nothing but dust.

.

The victory distracted Luigi a little bit, but he began to shudder again and wrenched the bracelet from his wrist, nearly throwing it at Toad. "G-Green Thunder, huh…"

"Luigi…" Mario put a hand on his shoulder.

Luigi shook his head and left his grasp. He walked out of the castle. Daisy was about to follow, but Mario held her back. "You've done enough," he growled.

"Take it easy, Mario," Peach warned him.

Daisy crossed her arms. "I get it. I messed up. But maybe we shouldn't be keeping things from him anyway."

"You still say he needs to know what he's capable of? There are more ways! Like that battle just now!"

"No. I mean Luigi has a right to know. We can't keep secrets. It makes things uncomfortable… it makes conversations dodgy… it makes us afraid to do anything…" She sighed. "I'm saying… maybe it's for the best that he knows."

"Besides," Peach agreed, "It wasn't Luigi. Not really, anyway."

Mario sighed. He looked at Daisy and nodded. Then said, "You know, you're never this easy on _me_ when _I_ mess up."

Daisy shrugged.

She didn't deny it.

Mario smiled and went after his brother.

.

The green brother was feeding the doubts in his mind when he came across Kammy Koopa. "Well, well… I hear you're quite the hero, Luigi," she smiled slyly.

Luigi readied himself. "Wh-What do you want?"

"The force with which you destroyed my king… That was a bit reminiscent of a certain force you used against someone else, wasn't it?"

"L-Leave me alone."

Kammy smiled wider. "Tell me, Luigi… how did it feel being the front man for once?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. L was no minion, Luigi… He was a big bad, so to speak. You were living in no shadows."

Luigi grimaced.

"And, I'm sure Mr. L enjoyed it… very much… Or should I say… _you_ did. Shedding your inhibitions… being what you were meant to be… Fighting back… fighting against the one that cast that shadow you've been in for so long."

Luigi's fists tightened.

"When Bowser was my liege, I was content being the sidekick… but maybe… that isn't you."

"I'm not a villain!"

"How do you know? How do you know Mr. L isn't who you truly are?"

Luigi froze.

"Don't listen to her, Weeg," a voice came behind him.

"M-Mario?" the green-clad hero turned.

"She's trying to mess with you."

"Mario… I…"

"What you did wasn't you, Luigi. You hear me?"

Luigi closed his eyes and clenched his fists again. "But if I can be so easily manipulated…"

"Anyone can!"

"Oh yes… anyone…" Kammy looked at Mario and smiled. "Except the great hero of the mushroom kingdom, right, Red-Cap?"

"Stay out of my brother's head, witch!"

She laughed. "I'm sure yours would be more amusing anyway, Super Mario."

Mario advanced on her, but she held up her hands in a mock surrender.

"Oh, I don't intend to do anything now. But we'll meet again soon enough." With that, she flew off on her broom.

Luigi gave Mario a mournful look.

Mario shook his head and placed both hands on his shoulders. "You're not bringing into account something very important, Luigi."

"What?"

"Which side won. The prophecies kept saying that the man in green would be the deciding factor. Luigi… your goodness won out in the end. Like Tippi said… 'Nothing is decided entirely by fate. All things decide their destinies.' You decided yours, Luigi. You decided love over chaos. You decided good over evil. You decided Luigi over Mr. L."

Luigi's eyes flicked away, but then returned to his brother's. "I guess… I guess you're right, bro." His brow furrowed back into a worried expression. "But… if I hurt you…"

"Luigi," Mario stopped him. "I'm a hero. It's part of the job. Bad-guys are going to fight me. And, if my little brother happens to be controlled by an evil hypnotist, well… just another battle won. I'm more relieved that I didn't do any more harm to _you_."

Luigi smiled slightly. "But apparently I can hold my own."

Mario laughed and clapped him on the shoulders. "That's my little bro for ya! The powerful Green Thunder!" He wrapped an arm around him, and they walked to their repaired home. "And how about that Green Thunder versus Powser! You certainly paid him back for that poison shroom years ago!"

Luigi smiled sheepishly. "It was a team effort."

"Sure, but I wouldn't ask for another teammate…"

"Not even Bowser?" Luigi grinned.

Mario chuckled. "I guess he's going to be sticking around for awhile, huh?"

.

Bowser would always be loyal to the Mushroom Kingdom, but he still had his castle and ruled over his minions. Kammy had no control over him anymore. Loyalty won out. Goodness won out. And Bowser was certain he made the right choice.

Luigi would never stop fearing what could've happened as Mr. L, but Mario made the most important point. Luigi has his own control over himself. Love won out. Goodness won out. And Luigi was certain his biggest fear would never come about again.


End file.
